endgames | 006 -- [Action || Voice]

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006 -- [Action || Voice]

[It is a rare thing to catch Shikamaru out of bed before noon, much less wandering around the western side of Luceti's forest when it's so freaking cold out.

Then again, it's not every day that he's been told that there's a possibility the village might find itself resembling some kid's aquarium If Things Do Not Go As Planned ~~even if we ooc-ly know they will, more or less~~. Despite being told like everyone else that there's nothing anyone can do to prevent it if something goes wrong, waiting for the inevitable just feels like a death sentence. There's being lazy, and then there's being stupid.

Feel free to bump into him if you're out that way yourself. When he's finished, he'll head back towards town, hands stuffed in his pockets. He throws up a voice post on his way.]

Anyone here good at digging holes? [That came out a bit sarcastically - it's early. Okay, but seriously:] Or better yet, skills for manipulating the earth.

[Once that's done, Shikamaru takes some time to track down his fellow ninja before heading of towards the Avatar House.

And then, a filtered message that was here the whole time.]

[Filtered to Trafalgar Law || 100% Unhackable]

I'd like to talk to you about some things, if you're up for it.

[From what he gleaned of your conversation with Catherine, you have a better understanding of the way tsunamis work. Understandable, for a pirate. And while he can come to his own conclusions, it's not a substitute for someone who knows what they're talking about.]

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[She's not much longer, but then she's not completely and totally awake yet. She does wake further as she eats, and a certain tension settles in her shoulders. It's a familiar one - she's used to having loved ones go off to fight. But at least they can fight.

"Poor planning" her ass.

Abruptly not hungry, she pushes her bowl of mostly-eaten cereal away and glances up at him.]

So did you need me for something? Everyone's okay, right?

Who? The knuckleheads? They're fine. I just had some questions to ask. [He sets the bowl down to dry, then folds his arms.] About waterbending.

[Knuckleheads? Pfff. Amusement lightens her features for a moment and she scoots her chair back to regard him more fully.]

Sure, go for it.

[Part of her wonders why he's come here to ask questions about her bending now - and may have a niggling suspicion (tsunami) as to why, but she's far more willing to wait and see what the questions are before making any conclusions.]

[Her suspicions are correct, of course.] How much water can you bend with the power limit here?

[He's not expecting she can hold back a tsunami or anything, but it's something that had to be asked. Water-based threats? The first person to obviously see would be the waterbender.]

That depends on how long I have to do it. It's a lot like weight-lifting - the more I bend, the more I can bend, but there will eventually be a limit. [She hasn't reached it yet.] When I was let out to fight a few months ago, I could bend a whole decent-sized river for a while.

[When I had to take down Chopper, and her face flickers with displeased memory.

And a river is a live thing - live and set in its ways. It was hard to redirect.]

So about half that, now. But holding all that? Not for longer than a few minutes.

[He nods, then walks back to the table and sits down. That idea's out then. He wasn't expecting much to come from it, at least.]

How badly does distance effect that? Or having to bend it through something, instead of just pure water.

The closer it is, the easier it is. But I don't know what you mean - bending through something?

With something else in your way, like earth. You didn't seem to have much trouble bending it off my clothes when we sparred, but I know that's not the same thing. [It's messier, for one. He's not sure what kind of effect that would have on it.]

Oh. [And she shakes her head.] No, that doesn't matter. If I can feel it, I can bend it. I've bent water up underneath the ground before, and that was over a year ago.

[He closes his eyes, thinking. Below the table, his fingers come together loosely, forming a circle. He's long since outgrown the need for a 'thinking position', as Asuma called it, but old habits die hard.

She could possible disperse the weight of the water then. Draw it away from them. That would buy time, and aside from that, she could even freeze it; use ice to stabilize it... maybe. All theory right now.]

Ever tried it below ground?

From below to above? No, but if I can feel it then it won't make a difference.

[She pauses and tilts her head, considering him.] I'll be able to tell you what I can and can't do better if you let me know what you're thinking.

Fair enough. [He opens his eyes.]

I'm thinking about how difficult it would be to keep a hole made deep underground from collapsing under tremendous water pressure. And just water-proof in general.

[...] And if it could be done, I was wondering if you could help with that.

That much water? ...you'd probably be better off asking Toph how much pressure it could take. But if I was below it, the best thing I could do would be to freeze it in the ground. That would probably hold it together even further.

[He nods, having figured as much.]

Toph... that's the younger girl who lives here, right? Is she another waterbender?

[Her eyes go wide at that and in spite of everything she laughs a little.]

Toph? No way. She's an earthbender.

[Blink. And ping. An earthbender would be very useful right about now, and the gears are obviously turning.]

Yeah? I must not have seen it before. [Or missed it somewhere in general - it's been hectic.] How good is she at it?

She's the best. [It's said simply.] The only one who's even close to her is King Bumi, and he's had over a hundred years to practice.

[That. Is impressive. If she can bend anywhere on the level Katara can manipulate water, it would be perfect.]

Is she here? I might need to talk to her.

Edited 2010-12-13 06:16 (UTC)

[And Toph chooses now to make an appearance, coming into the kitchen. She'd heard someone talking about her and it better not be about the mud she tracked in earlier.] Someone call me?

[Why would she talk about that, you DID clean it up afterwards, didn't you? >=|]

Toph, this is Shikamaru. [You might remember him from when he was six and living in Zuko's room last week.] He's got some earthbending questions.

[This in the tone of 'and it's probably somewhat relevant to our future survival so listen up.']

Hey. [He nearly raises a hand when he sees her before noticing she's blind. He thinks he vaguely remembers that... it was either that or mistaking her for a Hyuuga.]

Katara says you're the best. I take that means digging a hole wouldn't be a problem for you? [Which is just the beginning, of course.]

[She'll head over to the kitchen table, flopping into a chair and leaning her head on a hand, elbow on the table.]

Duh. Why, you need one? [Of course she's the best.]

[Katara flicks a glance at Shikamaru that says 'Traitor' but other than that just looks at him. She's kind of curious as to how he'll explain himself.]

[What. You did say so. 8|

But he just nods, leaning back in his seat.] I do - a deep one, at that. It would have to be sealed, and stable enough to withstand a serious amount of pressure from above ground. But I understand that might be a tall order.

[Might be poking your ego. Just might be. But he is genuinely curious here.]

[There's just a smug grin on her face. She knows she's the best, but hearing it did put her in a good mood. And hearing Shikamaru challenge that make the grin fade a bit.] Of course I can do it. But I'm gonna need more details. How much pressure? And from what?

It'd also depend on if it's from outside or in.

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[ action ] Katara --> Shikamaru --> Toph?

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